Label printing

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a label printing machine having settable type wheels for printing data on a continuous strip of labels with an attachment for striking-in additional data pertaining to a particular succession of labels. The additional data may comprise the name and address of the party to whom a package containing the labels may be sent while the data printed on the label by the settable type identifies the contents of the package to which the label is to be applied.

United States Patent 1191 Canaiy [111 3,834,302 1451 Sept. 10,1974

1 1 LABEL PRINTING [76] Inventor: Peter G. Canaiy, 1137 Mill Plain Rd., Fairfield, Colo. 06430 [22] Filed: Oct. 20, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 299,434

[52] US. Cl. 101/69, 101/288 [51] Int. Cl. B411 45/02 [58] Field of Search 101/66-70,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,857,123 5/1932 Baber... 101/90 2,007,526 7/1935 Flood... 101/96 2,121,864 6/1938 Flood 101/288 2,672,809 3/1954 Hoffmann et al. 101/70 3,120,178 2/1964 Lamers 101/90 3,358,596 12/1967 Davis 101/269 3,415,182 12/1968 White...,.'. 101/68 3,415,183 12/1968 Dudley 101/68 3,601,042 8/1971 Hazisch 101/69 Primary ExaminerRobert E. Pulfrey Assistant Examiner-Edward M. Coven Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Arthur A. Johnson [5 7] ABSTRACT There is disclosed a label printing machine having settable type wheels for printing data on a continuous strip of labels with an attachment for striking-in additional data pertaining to a particular succession of labels. The additional data may comprise the name and address of the party to whom a package containing the labels may be sent while the data printed on the label by the settable type identifies the contents of the package to which the label is to be applied.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Pmmmsw 3.934.302

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LABEL PRINTING The present invention relates to means for continuously printing a plurality of labels, and more particularly to improved means for striking-in specific data on the individual labels after they have been imprinted with settable type wheels and while the strip is in continuous form. V

More specifically, the present invention comprises an improvement on existing label imprinting machines having type wheels which may be manually set to print a line of desired indicia, the improvement comprising an auxiliary printing device incorporated with said type wheel mechanism and comprising a plurality of insertable printing plates which may bear, for instance, embossed characters of data common to a series of labels printed on said type wheels. The raised characters of the printing plate, for instance, designate the name and address of the party to whom a package carrying the label is to be delivered.

Devices for striking-in ancillary matter on previously printed checks and similar workpieces are known in the art, but these are quite complicated and expensive and are capable of imprinting more text than is usually required on a label.

The device of the present invention is simple and easily installed on existing label printing machines now in use.

According to the present invention, after being printed with the settable type wheels at one printing station, each label on a continuous strip is advanced automatically by feeding means to a second printing station where it is imprinted by a type-bearing printing plate, the printing from the'settable type and from the printing plate taking place simultaneously but on adjacent labels of the strip.

After each label has been printed, it may, according to the present invention, be severed from the strip by a cut-off device operated simultaneously with the printing mechanism. They may be previously transversely weakened to be easily detached from each other and the remainder of the strip along the transverse weakened lines. The continuous label strip may be fed to the machine from a roll, or the strip may be zigzag folded on the transverse weakened lines between the labels to form a stack from which they are fed to the machine by operation of said feeding means, and separated into labels after being printed either by hand along the weakened lines or by the cut-off device.

While the device of the present invention is described as an attachment to an existing machine, itmay constitute an integral built-in part of a machine for printing labels and the like.

Other features and advantageswill hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a label printing machine showing the attachment of the present invention applied thereto.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing a modified form of the label cut-off device.

FIG. 3 is a plan'view of the labelprinting machine and the attachment of the present invention looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a-sectional view taken'on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section of part of the platen frame showing the auxiliary platen block provided by the present invention, the printing plate and its supporting means, and the ink ribbon guide rolls.

FIG. 7 is a plan view taken on line 77 of FIG. 6 of th printing plate and its holding means.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the label printing machine to which the present invention is applied is similar in many respects to those disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 1,980,576; 2,007,526; 2,121,864 and In general, the label printing machine of the present invention comprises a base 10, suitable driving mecha nism and a linkage of the same type as described in US. Pat. No. 1,980,576 wherein a link 11 of the linkage causes a platen frame 12 to swing downwardly in response to actuation by a motor driven barrel cam l3,-

while a link 14 actuates a strip feeding finger support 15.

Labels L supplied for use in the machine are in the form of a continuous strip S fed from a roll S, a feed slot 16 being located between each label as shown in FIG. 3.- The platen frame 12 includes a side portion 18 and a front arm 19 extending at right angles to said side portion 18 and carrying on its bottom surface a rubber platen block 20. The platen frame 12 also comprises a base portion 21 which is secured to a shaft 22 pivotally mounted on an upwardly extending portion 23 of the machine base 10.

The base portion 21 has a channel 24in which the feed finger support 15 is slidably mounted and guided for reciprocating movement a fixed distance toward and away from the platen block 20 sufficiently to advance successive labels L to printing position under the platen block 20.

A flat, substantially rectangular sheet metal paper table 25 is mounted on the top surface of the base portion 21 and a transversely extending support 26 and extends lengthwise of the platen frame 12 from adjacent the rear edge of the platen block 20 rearwardly over the rear end of the machine base 10 and extends transversely across the platen frame 12 from the left-hand edge 24a of the channel 24 to beyond the outer end of the support 26. A narrow elongate paper table extension'27 is similarly mounted on the top surface of the base portion 21 and extends lengthwise of the platen frame 12 the same distance as the paper table '25 and from the outer edge of the channel 24 to the side portion 18 of the platen frame.

Intermediate the ends of the platen frame 12 is a transversely extending rod 28, one end of which is secured to the side portion 18 of the platen frame 12. The other end of the rod supports a'collar 29 which isslidably mounted on the rod 28 so as to be adjustable transversely across the paper table 25. The collar 29 is secured in position on the rod by a thumb screw 30. The collar 29 is secured to a bracket 31 which is secured to a lateral guide bar 32 which slidably rests on the paper table 25 and has a straight edge 33 to engage the side edge of the strip S as the latter is being fed over the table25 to the platen block 20. A hold-down plate 34 is mounted on the side of the bracket 31 withits bottom edge spaced above the strip S to keep one side of the latter flat on the table as the strip is being advanced.

The end of the rod 28 adjacent the side portion 18 of the platen frame has a collar 35 carrying a hold-down plate 36 to keep the other side of the strip S flat.

Means for advancing the label strip S step-by-step to the platen block 20 as shown and described herein is like that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,483,227 aforesaid to which reference is hereby made. Suffice it to say here that the feed finger support is slidably mounted in the channel 24 in the base portion 21 and has an arm 37 connected to the link 14 which is operated by the barrel cam 13 when the motor M is energized.

The feed finger support 15 carries a feed finger 38 which has a prong 39 adapted when retracted to yieldingly engage the underside of the strip and to enter the slot 16 and then advance the strip one label length toward the platen block as the cam 13 rotates. The platen block 20 is then brought down to print the label. When the label L is being engaged by the platen on the platen frame 12 the prong 39 is withdrawn from the slot 16 and returns to starting position in which the prong again enters a slot 16 on the strip S.

Heretofore after the label was printed as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,121,864 aforesaid, the printed label was separated by a severing device operated by the machine so that the user need not perform that operation by hand.

In another form of labeling machine in common use, a guillotine type cutter was mounted on rods carried by the front arm 19 of the platen frame 12 and located in position to sever a previously printed label from the strip S. The. severing device was operated by a flexible cable in synchronism with the printing movement of the platen frame 12 to sever the labels from the strip S.

As in the prior patents aforesaid, the labels L are printed from settable type wheels W through an inking ribbon R interposed between the type wheels and the label strip so that when the platen frame 12 and platen 20 descend, the platen strikes the back of the label and from the ribbon R the front of the label receives the type impressions of the wheels W, the label strip S being fed face down.'

The type wheels W are set after each batch of labels has been printed and, of course, only one line of type can be printed from the type wheels.

Frequently it is desired to have the labels printed with additional data, such as for instance the name and address of the party for whom the goods are. intended. This has been done heretofore by collecting the printed labels containing the settable type indicia and running them through a printing machine such as an Addressograph having a raised type plate showing the indicia to be printed. This after-printing operation was quite time consuming and, therefore, added substantially to the cost of the labels.

According to the present invention, existing label printing machines, such as shown in the U.S. patents enumerated above, can be converted by means of the attachment of the device of the present invention to such a machine which will feed and print a succession of labels with the settable wheel indicia and simultaneously print otherindicia on said labels from a prepared printing media such as an embossed printing plate, means being provided so that the twice printed labels are successively severed from the label strip as each label is so printed.

For this purpose the present invention provides an auxiliary frame 50 having a bottom plate 51 on which the main frame 10 may rest. The frame 50 has side plates 52 secured thereto and at the upper ends of the plates 52 there is a crossbar 53. Resting on the crossbar 53 there is a bar 54 which at its 'upper end has a dovetail slot 55. The bar 54 is adjustably secured to the side plates 52 by screws 56 in slot 57 in the side plates 52. A printing plate carrier 58 is shaped to be slidably received by said dovetail slot 55. The carrier 58 has overhanging flanges 58a to receive and hold a printing plate 59 having raised reverse characters 60 showing the indicia to be printed on the label, such as a name and address. The carrier 58 extends laterally of the frame 50 sufficiently as shown in FIG. 7 to permit the operator to slide out the carrier 58 to reach the printing plate 59 and slide it out from under the flanges 58a of the carrier 58 and to remove the used printing plate and substitute a different printing plate related to the next batch of labels to be printed. The carrier 58 and the plate 59 are then pushed into printing position under the platen 63.

Also in converting the existing label printing machine to print additional lines of indicia on the label printed by the settable printing wheels W, the rods carried by the front arm of the existing machine are removed along with the strip-severing mechanism and instead longer rods 61 carrying an auxiliary platen block 62 having a platen 63 are substituted for the removed rods. The auxiliary platen block 62 is adjustable on the rods 61 to position the platen 63 directly above the crossbar 53, the platen carrier 58 and plate 59.

The inking ribbon R supplied with the machine, in converting the machine as above stated, is carried from a spool 64 over the settable type wheels W to and over the plate carrier 58 and the plate 59 thereon, over a guide roller 65 carried by the side plates 52 of the frame 50 and from the guide roller 65 to a guide roller 66 and to the spool 67 of the ribbon feeding mechanism such as illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,980,576. Hence when the platen frame 12 is swung down by operation of the barrel cam 13, the strip S will be pressed against the ribbon R and the latter against the printing plate 59 to print the label above it at the same time that the platen block 20 engages the label against the ribbon overlying printing wheels W to print the required indicia on an advanced label L.

' The auxiliary platen block 62 has secured to it arms 68 which have guide portions 69 which have hold-down rods 70 and strip-supporting arms 71 so that the strip S will rise and fall with the platen block 62 relative to the bar 54 and printing plate 59.

If the strip S is transversely weakened between labels L and is supplied in a zigzag folded pack, as it leaves the auxiliary platen 63 it may be followed to fall to the table on which the machine is supported and there refold into a pack.

But, if it is desired to sever each label from the strip S as it is printed, according to the present invention, the cut-off device, now in use on label printing machines as above referred to, may be employed in the attachment of the present invention. For this purpose the rods 61 are made long enough to receive the strip-severing device 72 which has a ledger bar 73 and a knife 74 shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. The ledger bar is operated by v a flexible cable, such as a Bowden wire 75 operated by the motor at the rear of the machine at the end of each cycle of operations of the barrel cam 13.

Instead of using the known severing device 72, the severing of the strip S may. be accomplished as shown in FIG. 2 where the end of the rods 61 carries a cutting plate holder 76 adjustably mounted on the rods 61 while a ledger bar 77 is adjustably mounted on the frame 50. In this arrangement when the platen frame 12 descends, a knife 78 carried by the holder 76 will sever the twice printed label from the strip S. Label supporting arms 79 are secured to the knife holder 76 and have a plate 80 underlying the label strip to cause it to raise and fall with the platen frame 12.

There is insufficient space close to the printing plane of the wheels W due to the large diameter thereof to mount the printing plate 59 in position to print the same label that is being printed by the type wheels. Therefore, according to the present invention the plate carrier 58 is mounted so that the raised type on the plate will engage the proper position of the label which has previously been printed by the settable wheels W and platen 20, and if the strip is to be severed into label lengths, the severing means will be located one label length beyond the platen 63, as shown.

To summarize assuming that the label strip S, the labels of which are numbered consecutively from I to V, is in position on the paper table 25 and the printing wheels W have been set to print the desired indicia with label I positioned under the platen and the printing plate 59 is in place on the plate carrier 58, the machine is started. This will cause the barrel cam 13 to operate the platen frame 12 and cause the platen block 20 to print the indicia from the wheels W on label I. The second cycle of operation will cause the feed finger 38 to retract, engage label II and advance the strip one label length, moving the label II to printing position under the platen 20 and label I in the space between the platens 20 and 63. The third cyle of operations will cause the feed finger 38 to move label III to position under the platen 20, label II in the space between the platens printed and a penultimate label once printed.

20 and 63 and the label I under the platen 63. The

fourth cycle of operations will move label IV to position under the platen 20, label III in the space between the platens 20 and 63, label I] under the platen 63 and label I to the space between the platen 63 and the cutoff mechanism. The fifth cycle of operations will place label V under the platen 20, label IV between the platens 20 and 63, label Ill under the platen 63, label [I in the space between the platen 63 and the cut-off mechanism and label I cut off from the strip by the cut-off When the settable wheels are reset and/or the printing plate is changed, the partially printed labels are discarded. While this represents a waste of labels, the time which would be spent in re-running the labels through a separate printing machine greatly offsets the loss of two labels.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In a label printing machine having a main frame, a row of settable type wheels mounted on said frame for imprinting indicia on a continuous strip of labels;-

means for feeding said strip from a supply roll step-bystep to successive printing stations; means for causing an impression to be made on said strip from said type wheels at a first printing station, said means comprising a pivoted platen frame having mounted thereon a first platen under which the strip of labels is fed to said first printing station between said first platen and said settable type wheels; and means for moving said pivoted platen frame toward and from said type wheels and the label strip thereon when a label is being printed: the improvement comprising an auxiliary platen; support means extending from said pivoted platen frame for supporting said auxiliary platen for movement with said platen frame to and from a second printing station; an auxiliary frame adjacent said main frame and having a transverse support; means for holding the auxiliary frame in fixed juxtaposition with said main frame; printing plate-holding means mounted on said transverse support and located under said second platen; means mounted for movement with said auxiliary platen for guiding said printed label strip under the auxiliary platen and over said printing plate-holding means to receive an impression from a printing plate held on said plate-holding means when said first-named platen is imprinting another label from said settable wheels; a single inking ribbon located under said first-named platen and under said label strip and over said type wheels, and also under said auxiliary platen and said label strip and over said printing plate whereby impressions from said printing plate and from said settable type wheels are made on the same side of the label strip by said ribbon; and means mounted on said support means for said auxiliary platen for severing a label portion from the end of the label strip at the same time the following label portions are being imprinted by said printing plate and by said settable type wheels.

2. A label printing machine according to claim 1 in which there are means for mounting said printing plate holder on said transverse support for sliding movement transversely of the machine from printing position under said auxiliary platen to a position removed therefrom in which a printing plate may be placed on or removed from said printing plate holder.

*1 I I j csnrmcms 0F (IQRRECTION I Patent No. 5, 5 ,302 Dated September 10,1974

Inventor(s) Peter Cana'iy It is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Specification, column 1, line 17 "on" should '1 be b column line 56, "followed" should ;be allowed In the Heading, change the Inventor's address from "Colo."

' .to Conn.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of November 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSONIQJR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents 

1. In a label printing machine having a main frame, a row of settable type wheels mounted on said frame for imprinting indicia on a continuous strip of labels; means for feeding said strip from a supply roll step-by-step to successive printing stations; means for causing an impression to be made on said strip from said type wheels at a first printing station, said means comprising a pivoted platen frame having mounted thereon a first platen under which the strip of labels is fed to said first printing station between said first platen and said settable type wheels; and means for moving said pivoted platen frame toward and from said type wheels and the label strip thereon when a label is being printed: the improvement comprising an auxiliary platen; support means extending from said pivoted platen frame for supporting said auxiliary platen for movement with said platen frame to and from a second printing station; an auxiliary frame adjacent said main frame and having a transverse support; means for holding the auxiliary frame in fixed juxtaposition with said main frame; printing plate-holding means mounted on said transverse support and located under said second platen; means mounted for movement with said auxiliary platen for guiding said printed label strip under the auxiliary platen and over said printing plate-holding means to receive an impression from a printing plate held on said plate-holding means when said firstnamed platen is imprinting another label from said settable wheels; a single inking ribbon located under said first-named platen and under said label strip and over said type wheels, and also under said auxiliary platen and said label strip and over said priNting plate whereby impressions from said printing plate and from said settable type wheels are made on the same side of the label strip by said ribbon; and means mounted on said support means for said auxiliary platen for severing a label portion from the end of the label strip at the same time the following label portions are being imprinted by said printing plate and by said settable type wheels.
 2. A label printing machine according to claim 1 in which there are means for mounting said printing plate holder on said transverse support for sliding movement transversely of the machine from printing position under said auxiliary platen to a position removed therefrom in which a printing plate may be placed on or removed from said printing plate holder. 